Are you an average golfer? And what would it mean if you were? After all, this is golf, a sport of such random, unforeseen outcomes it tends to mock the notion that anything hews to an average — or even a pattern.
But most golfers, like anyone engaged in a pursuit that usually involves keeping score, wonder what defines a typical, standard result.
The USGA has for decades tracked the 9- and 18-hole scores of millions of golfers through a handicap system. About 3.2 million players in the U.S. currently post their scores to maintain a Handicap Index®, a sophisticated tool that is a measurement of a player’s demonstrated ability on a course of standard playing difficulty, which is tailored to the course and tees they are playing on a particular day to provide them with a Course Handicap™.
How the USGA rates a short course and the benefits of their handicap system
Scott Hovde, the Director of Course Rating and Handicap Research for the USGA, shows GOLF’s Josh Sens how a short course is rated and how you can benefit from using these courses to obtain a handicap.
Currently, the average Handicap Index is 14.2 for men and 28.7 for women. The cohort of golfers with a Handicap Index tends to include a number of more seriously engaged golfers who also play more regularly. The National Golf Foundation, which conducts monthly and annual participation surveys of more than 36,000 golfers, concludes that the average 18-hole score for men and women in the United States is about 94.
But there are caveats to any calculation of the average golfer score and they are widely understood in the golf community. Millions of recreational golfers who only play occasionally do not keep score. Other golfers misunderstand the Rules of Golf and thereby write down inaccurate scores or are broad-minded about the tranquilizing value of a mulligan. And still others, to put it kindly, fib to either inflate, or reduce, their scores.
Adding to the dynamic over the past few years is the substantial pandemic-related influx of new golfers who are considerably younger, more likely female and drawn from more diverse backgrounds. This is also a group attracted to less traditional golf venues like short courses and par-3 courses. Concurrently, there has been a dramatic increase in nine-hole league participation nationwide, which has produced a surge in the number of nine-hole rounds.
In this evolving landscape, many in golf’s leadership positions see an opportunity to unite newer and existing golfers. At the crux of that movement would be encouraging, or exhorting, more golfers of any type to get a Handicap Index — and central to that recruitment is making golfers realize the handicap is not solely designed for use in competitions. Yes, it is essential for many championships, but its myriad, ancillary benefits extend far beyond tournaments and contests.
“Even if it’s a casual foursome or twosome of golfers and they want to play a game where the losers buy the post-round beers or appetizers, the World Handicap System becomes the great equalizer that gives everyone a fair chance to win,” said Lee Rainwater, the USGA’s director of handicap education and outreach. “It’s the cornerstone of the system… the abilities of the different players might not be the same, but with a Handicap Index the round becomes fairer and more enjoyable for all.”
Rainwater sees other benefits and advantages to having a Handicap Index, like allowing golfers to track their progress on a continuing basis using objective benchmarks of improvement. More than a million golfers in the U.S. utilize the Golf Handicap and Information Network (GHIN) App for score posting, which allows them to not only track their hole-by-hole scores but, if they choose, to enter granular details about each round: fairways hit (and where the misses went), total putts, greens in regulation, etc. Those details are aggregated to offer a statistical portrait of the golfer that identifies areas to work on.
It’s also worth noting that golfers who use the GHIN App have the option to upgrade to use Enhanced GPS features, which expands its GPS capabilities to include an approach shot “heat map,” a putt-break map, shot tracking and other features.
The Handicap Index is also a vehicle of opportunity — it’s often required if a golfer wants to accept an invitation to play in a member-guest tournament as well as at many charity or civic group outings. Since an Index is obtained through membership in a state or regional Allied Golf Association (AGA), that affiliation often opens doors to a day of golf at premier private or public golf facilities (typically promoted by AGAs as “Member Play Days”).
And don’t overlook the capacity to measure something intrinsic. How do you stack up to other golfers? Are you average? Or better? (Ignore the alternatives.)
Moreover, in the journey to calling yourself a golfer, getting a Handicap Index can be a meaningful step toward feeling connected to the greater golf tribe.
“The notion of community is very strong in golf,” said Rainwater, specifically referring to the World Handicap System that was established under the stewardship of the USGA and The R&A in 2020. “It is the first time that there was a singular calculation of golfers’ abilities around the globe. In this community, golfers who are playing at the course down the road or a golf course in Australia, South America or Japan are working from the same playing-ability computation.”
The message seems to strike a chord, as nearly 450,000 golfers obtained a handicap through the USGA for the first time in 2023.
There is another more altruistic, down-to-earth reason to establish a Handicap Index that could be filed under the category of public service. It relates to the awkward, ubiquitous interactions on the first tees of crowded golf courses everywhere, when strangers are combined to create a foursome. Often, the golfers want to play a game for the fun of it, and maybe some reward, which leads to the question: “What’s your handicap?”
Too often, one of your newest golf friends pauses for a long, uncomfortable few seconds, then mumbles: “Ah, maybe about … ”
As Rainwater explained, golf is a game of honor, and the Handicap Index helps. “You don’t have to say you’re about a 12,” he said. “You can say, ‘I am a 12.2.’ At its core, golf is a social game. Having a handicap is a versatile connector meant to add to everyone’s overall enjoyment.”
The other good news is that in recent years, the USGA, affiliated golf governing bodies and other constituencies in the sport have diligently combined to make it far easier to get a handicap. While there are various avenues, one of the simplest might be visiting usga.org/getahandicap.
“We’re serving as a funnel, a facilitator — meaning that by typing in very basic information, golfers will not only get a Handicap Index, they’ll also get better connected to their local AGA,” Rainwater said.
The World Handicap System also has become more welcoming to the expanding world of golf facilities. Beginning this year, nine-hole courses as short as 750 yards are eligible for a Course Rating™ and Slope Rating®, a reduction from the previous minimum of 1,500 yards. Similarly, the eligible minimum for 18-hole courses was reduced from 3,000 yards to 1,500 yards.
Furthermore, if inclement weather or darkness cuts your golf day short after 15 holes, for example, you can still post the hole-by-hole scores and the system will interpret the results for handicap purposes. In another 2024 WHS update, a nine-hole score now counts immediately toward a player’s handicap rather than waiting to combine it with another nine-hole score from a different day.
Since so many daily activities are now conducted via hand-held devices, it’s no surprise various apps connected to golf services have enlisted millions of golfers as users. Score posting is usually a popular accompanying feature and many providers have partnered with the USGA to offer access to a Handicap Index, with roughly 30 more apps in the pipeline to do so in the near future.
The National Golf Foundation and the USGA have likewise shared data to corroborate their findings on the “average” golfer. The NGF, which has identified an on-course United States participant base of 26.6 million, reports that nearly three-fourths of those golfers are male. Perhaps more revealing, the percentage of female golfers in America (26 percent) is the highest on record. The average age of a golfer is 43.5, although women golfers are about 4.5 years younger. People of color represent 23 percent of the American golfer cohort, which is the highest proportion of non-white golfers recorded by the foundation. The typical golfer plays about 20 rounds annually.
But Greg Nathan, the NGF president and chief executive, chooses to look beyond the statistics when envisioning the average golfer.
“What every golfer has in common is they enjoy the activity itself — they enjoy the challenge, enjoy being outdoors, enjoy the exercise and the camaraderie of being with other people who enjoy the same activity,” said Nathan, whose foundation has also identified another 18.5 million people who participate at golf entertainment venues, stand-alone driving ranges and/or businesses with golf simulators. “There’s an amazing passion for this crazy game.”
That passion is not only swelling by nearly every measure, the growth is intriguingly varied. Rainwater, for example, noted that recent visitors to the usga.org/getahandicap page who have signed up for a Handicap Index are a mix of less experienced golfers and those who have clearly been playing for years, since they’re posting scores in the low 70s.
“Both of these cohorts are really diving in; it’s a very engaged group,” he said with a hearty chuckle.
So, are you an average golfer?
One of golf’s greatest charms is its versatility, variety and variability. It can mean something different to everyone. That may be the game’s foremost triumph.
Did you identify with any of the sentiments expressed in this article? Did you see yourself in the data or find yourself nodding your head approvingly? Did you feel parallels to the game of golf as you know it?
There is your answer.
